


there ain't no easy way (I got just one life)

by hishn_greywalker



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: spn_gleeweek, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-30
Updated: 2007-09-30
Packaged: 2018-10-20 20:25:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10670145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hishn_greywalker/pseuds/hishn_greywalker
Summary: John Winchester did everything he could for his boys, even if they didn't know it.





	there ain't no easy way (I got just one life)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rejeneration](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=rejeneration).



> title from tom petty. congrats for earning this, [](http://rejeneration.livejournal.com/profile)[rejeneration](http://rejeneration.livejournal.com/) :) [](http://spn-gleeweek.livejournal.com/profile)[spn_gleeweek](http://spn-gleeweek.livejournal.com/)'s guess the author challenge prize fic. many many thanks to [](http://waterofthemoon.livejournal.com/profile)[waterofthemoon](http://waterofthemoon.livejournal.com/) for the beta.

"Mr. Winchester, it's nice to finally meet you." Kate McCullough held out her hand to the elusive father. She had tried to get him to come in several times now since Sam had joined her class in mid-October. Her only comfort was that her friend who worked at the high school was having the same issues contacting him in regards to his older son.

"Sorry about that," he told her, shaking her hand. "I'm out of town a lot." He was just repeating what fifth grade Sam had told her every time his father hadn't come in, and what ninth grade Dean had said the time he'd shown up in his father's stead.

Kate wasn't too worried about the boys. Neither looked or acted like there was something going on in the house, but something was slightly off about the whole family. It was just little things that, taken on their own, meant nothing. But when added together, the picture they left her was somewhat bleak and a little worrisome.

"Your boys tell me your job keeps you out of town a lot."

John nodded. "I'm an independent consultant. It takes me all over the Midwest."

"Hmm." She looked down at the papers strewn across her desk. "I wanted to talk to about Sam's performance. I would have liked to have done this in November, but I can understand you needing to do your job."

"Sam's been slacking off?" John asked, eyebrows raised. He looked extremely surprised, which pleased her for some reason. Sam's father obviously knew his son was studious, so she relaxed some.

"No, no," she assured him. "The opposite, in fact. It's only December, and he's farther along than the rest of the class will be in June. I actually wanted to talk to you about letting him move up to the sixth grade."

"Absolutely not," John told her.

She looked up, surprised. Most parents were ecstatic when she told them their children were above average, especially as far as Sam was.

"No?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head. "Moving around as much as we do is hard enough on him. I'm not going to make it any harder."

Kate eyed him for a moment. That hadn't been what she was expecting. Then again, if she had learned anything over the last few months, it had been that none of the Winchesters were what you expected.

When they came back from Christmas break, Sam didn't return. The school didn't know where they'd gone—John had taken the files rather than have them transferred.

\---

John didn't know how this fight had started. In fact, come to think of it, he wasn't sure how any of their fights started these days. They just seemed to happen any time he opened his mouth to say something to Sam.

"You never did anything for me," Sam was yelling, eyes flashing and too long hair falling across his face. He reminded John of himself in the year before he'd gone off to join the marines. "You never listened when I wanted to stay somewhere—just until the end of a quarter—or saw how hard it was to pick up and move every other month. It was always what was easiest for you and your goddamned hunting."

John glanced over at Dean, who had come in durring the middle of the fight and was looking slightly lost.

"That's not true, Sam. I tried to make things as easy for you as I could." John was so tired of fighting, but he wasn't sure he knew how to keep it from happening. Every time he tried, it made it worse.

"Yeah?" Sam asked. "Well, it didn't work."

John didn't say anything as Sam stormed out of the house, though Dean lingered a moment before following his brother out of the house.  



End file.
